LAS CRUCES >> The New Mexico State baseball team had opportunities to score some runs Friday night.

The Aggies left 16 runners on base for the game and were 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position in a 10-1 loss to Northern Colorado at Presley Askew Field in Game 2 of a three-game Western Athletic Conference set.

The Aggies, who had eight hits Friday night, left the bases loaded in both the first and sixth innings.

"We're doing a decent job of getting guys on base," NMSU coach Brian Green said. "But, then when it really matters, our guys are trying too hard. They know that, we're talking about it. Until somebody just comes through and does it, nobody gets a chance to relax.

"Really, we need somebody to step up in those clutch RBI situations. We have our chances every game and we haven't been able to capitalize in the last four or five games."

The Aggies lost their seventh straight game to fall to 4-23-1 overall and 1-5-1 in Western Athletic Conference play.

Northern Colorado also got to NMSU pitching early with seven runs and 11 hits in the first four innings. The Bears finished with 17 hits for the game.

"They do a good job of hitting the fastball and we've done a poor job the past two nights of working the fastball down," Green said. "We've been up in the zone early in the count and if we don't get ahead of them, then they're ahead. They've hit the fastballs up in the zone and they've hammered them. We have to get the ball down."

NMSU starting pitcher Matt Loeffler (1-2) was charged with the loss, giving up seven runs, all earned, on 12 hits with one strikeout and two walks in six innings. Loeffler now has a 5.44 ERA.

The Aggies cut the Bears' lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the second with a Joseph Koerper RBI base hit. But, Northern Colorado broke the game open with four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 6-1 lead.

The Bears (8-16, 5-3 WAC) took a 7-1 lead in the top of the fourth with a solo home run to left field from Jensen Park.

Alex Werbach (1-3) got the win for Northern Colorado, giving up one run, which was unearned, on six hits with five strikeouts and six walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Koerper finished 2 for 3 on the night with a RBI and is now hitting .341 on the season. Michael Barrientos was also 2 for 4 for the Aggies.

Park finished 4 for 6 for the Bears with a home run and a RBI while Brandon Vaughn and Nick Tanner each had three RBIs for Northern Colorado.